Despite blockbuster additions, Miami’s roster remains thin at point guard. Why is the front office shunning proven veterans like Gabe Vincent to prioritize developmental youth?
The Miami Heat have had a very prolific offseason, adding multiple big-name players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson. Even with these veterans coming in, there are some under-the-radar moves the team has been making to add depth to the roster. Last week, the Heat, through their G-League affiliate, added former first-round pick Mo Bamba to fight for a roster spot. Earlier this week, the Heat made another move, adding young guard Bez Mbeng. The Heat also presumably made their final move of the offseason by signing Ian Schieffelin to a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract on Friday afternoon.
Bamba is a veteran who has seen many ups-and-downs at the NBA level while Mbeng and Schieffelin are young prospects who haven't proven much at this point of their careers. Now, typically, these moves aren't usually looked at with a close lens before the start of training camp but there are three players out there sitting in free agency who play a position of need for Miami and are not being given the time of day.
The first one is Gabe Vincent, a former playoff standout for the franchise. Vincent, 30, has had a rough few seasons since leaving Miami but he's now available to return to the franchise. He has been publicly campaigning for another chance with the team, even reportedly turning down a training camp contract from the New York Knicks. Vincent even has All-Star Bam Adebayo in his corner, advocating for his return as well. However, the Heat seem adamant about not bringing him in which is slightly confusing. The team could make Adebayo, one of the faces of the franchises, happy as well by bringing him in and fans would presumably support the move as well for the 15th roster spot.
The second one is D'Angelo Russell. He was once a high-scoring guard but has fallen off in recent years. He's no longer the 20-point scorer he was earlier this decade but could still provide some solid depth off the bench. For a team that only has Davion Mitchell as a true point guard at the moment, Miami should show interest in adding a veteran who has shown he can score at a solid clip even if it's been a few years but similar to Vincent, it seems unlikely the team adds him.
The final one who recently became available is Ryan Nembhard. He isn't the flashy name like Russell or have previous ties to the franchise like Vincent but he would still be a solid addition for a team lacking point guard depth. He is only 23 years old as well.
It seems doubtful the Heat would add any of these three names as they would now have to waive a player to open a spot. Right now, the backup point guard behind Mitchell is Dru Smith, a young player who has shown flashes but it is unknown if he can take a bigger leap. Maybe the Heat felt they added too many veterans this offseason and want to add young talent for Erik Spoelstra and the coaching staff to develop? That seems like the best reasoning for why Miami hasn't taken a chance on any of these guards still available.
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